Highlights of Puglia

(9 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Otranto, Lecce, Ostuni, Alberobello, Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Egnazia, Castel de Monte, Grotte di Castellana

Puglia—the boot heel of Italy—is one of the country’s best-kept travel secrets. On this leisurely tour, stay at stylish resorts inside masserie (ancient fortified farmhouses) and experience Puglia’s rich cultural heritage of undiscovered towns, white sand beaches and wonderful food and wine. Begin in Otranto, an ancient port, former Greek colony and Italy’s easternmost town. Tour highlights such as Otranto’s Byzantine church, 11th century cathedral, the 15th century castle, and browse the shops along the cobblestone streets of the old town.

Next, drive to Lecce, Puglia’s cultural capital, and stay two nights at the Patria Palace Hotel. Visit the town’s most famous landmarks—a Roman amphitheater, and Baroque churches and palaces built of ornately carved limestone. Taste local wines such as Primitivo (a Zinfandel relative) and Negroamaro at an enoteca (wine store). Shop for locally produced wrought iron goods, or relax at chic cafes and watch the town’s beautiful youth on their daily passeggiata (stroll).

Continue to Savelletri di Fasano to stay four nights at a luxury hotel near the blue Adriatic Sea. En route, visit the “White City” of Ostuni, a tumble of whitewashed buildings. Enjoy a day trip through countryside scented with Mediterranean pines to explore interesting towns and historical sites nearby. In Alberobello, walk among hundreds of limestone trulli—beehive-shaped dwellings—stopping inside to shop for locally produced handicrafts. Visit the archaeological ruins at Egnazia—an ancient Roman site with stone roads, mosaic floors and an early-Christian church. Visit Locorotondo, a hilltop town encircled by tall white houses with peaked roofs, and the Baroque town of Martina Franca, the “City of Wine.” Further afield are the forests of the Gargano Peninsula and the troglodyte dwellings of I Sassi di Matera (in the neighboring region of Basilicata). During leisure time, opt to have a treatment at the hotel’s excellent spa, take a horseback riding or cooking lesson, or lounge in the swimming pool or at the private beach.